In the decades following urban renewal, Second Ward became the quietest of Uptown’s wards. It lacked residences and any nightlife attractions. In the 2010s, Charlotte’s apartment boom spread to the area.
In June 2016, county commissioners selected BK Partners to redevelop a portion of the old Brooklyn area. The group has reclaimed the neighborhood’s name, dubbing the new development Brooklyn Village, and planned a 17-acre redevelopment project that honors Brooklyn. The project timeline has been delayed since 2016.
In August 2019, a coalition of advocates led by The Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice at Queens University began calling for restorative justice. In an effort to address past racial injustices and inequality, the group demanded that former residents have broader access to the new homes and retail space developed in Brooklyn Village. For some people, the call for restorative justice is too little too late. Others believe it is a crucial step toward addressing lost generational wealth and social capital.
The Pearl is Charlotte’s first innovation district; it is a one-of-its kind ecosystem where research, academic excellence, corporate innovation, clinical translation, entrepreneurial activity, and community engagement converge. The Pearl opened in 2025 and sits on land that once belonged to Brooklyn. People who visit the Pearl can take The Purposeful Walk and learn more about Brooklyn and national trends involving urban renewal.
The story of Brooklyn can help inform decisions as Charlotte rapidly grows. Not far beyond Uptown, communities are feeling the pressures of gentrification and rising property values. Residents, who relocated from Brooklyn to neighborhoods on the outskirts of Uptown that makeup the Historic West End, are once again facing uncertainty about the future of their homes. Charlotte still struggles with an affordable housing shortage just as it did some fifty years ago. As development continues to reshape neighborhoods, opening doors for some while closing them for others, how might we look to the story of Brooklyn to understand what it takes to forge an equitable future?
